It might be in the back of your mind when you’re leaving on vacation — what happens if someone steals my robotic lawn mower while I’m in Aruba?
“I would have thought that they would be an easy target for thieves, but thankfully there are numerous features that make them very secure,” says the owner of a robotic lawn mower who writes blogs about his robotic experiences on myrobotmower.com, “Robot lawn mower security features are well developed to both prevent theft and promote recovery if one should be stolen.”
Thankfully, robotic mower theft remains very low — probably because if the large array of security features that come inherent with these machines.
Here’s a look at the security features that make it far less likely for someone to successfully steal a robotic lawn mower, and how they work to keep your mower secure… and to give you peace of mind.
GPS Means You Always Know Where Your Mower Is
Even if your robotic mower gets stolen and goes on a ride across the country, you’ll know where it went. Thanks to the GPS features, if someone does succeed in getting past all the security measures to make off with your robot, they won’t be able to get away with their heist for long.
In fact, in Denver recently, an automatic lawn mower led the cops straight to the thief, who was hoarding a bunch of other stolen goods as well. Sweet, sweet justice!
According to the Denver Post Article, “An automatic lawnmower was stolen from Loveland’s Lakeside Cemetery in early September but was found using the machine’s GPS. And it’s possible the high-tech mower helped authorities catch the thief and find other stolen goods as well. The mower’s built-in GPS system allows it to operate independently, and its location syncs automatically with a mobile app. At first, Schwery thought the mower — nicknamed “Cemy” for cemetery — had simply been overturned. But when he took a closer look at the mower’s GPS location, he realized that it was on the other side of town.”
Phone alerts
Robotic lawn mowers are good communicators — they let you know (via push notifications on your phone) if something’s up with the mower.
For example, if your mower is turned over, picked up, or moved, you’ll know what’s going on within minutes.
The robot won’t work for anyone but its owner. (Because of PIN codes and paired charging bases)
“Even if it is easy to gain access to a property to steal a robotic mower, the theft will serve no purpose,” says Belrobotics, “The robot cannot function alone, and an expert technician is required to install the station and make it operational.”
Each robotic lawn mower also requires a PIN code to be entered onto the robot’s control panel to ensure that only the authorized owner of the machine has the ability to use it…. which leads us to our next point.
Blacklisted machines
If you do get your robotic lawn mower stollen, you can call the manufacturer and have the machine blacklisted.
This means that if the robot is brought in for servicing, the robot will be immediately flagged as stolen. The service center will then alert the authorities about the possibility of a stolen machine.
It’ll sound an alarm
A thief could not gracefully steal a robotic lawn mower, because the machine will sound with a high-pitched, shrill, very loud alarm. (And only the PIN code can halt the alarm sound.) Good luck making a grand escape without turning heads!
Some Husqvarna Automowers (like the 450x) allow you to adjust the duration of the alarm from 1 minute to 20 minutes.
Not All Robotic Lawn Mowers Have Anti-Theft Features
While the majority of robotic lawn mower models — and brands — do feature anti-theft security features, some lower-end models do not.
So before you make a purchase, be sure to check all the specs and features to make sure a machine has anti-theft features… if security is important to you.
Robotic Lawn Mowers Don’t Make It Easy for ThieveS
Thieves probably won’t try to steal your robotic lawn mower. But if they do, rest assured that the robots are one step ahead of the bandits. Between giving away a thieve’s location through GPS tracking, turning heads with a loud alarm, sending immediate text notifications, and not working for anyone but its owner, it’s safe to say that your robotic lawn mower will, well, stay pretty darn safe.
Want to discover which robotic lawn mower is right for you? Click here to explore all our robotic lawn mowing options by brand.